To James Madison from John Graham, 10 August 1816
From John Graham
Dept of State 10th Augt 1816.
Dear Sir
Mr Monroe who returned last Night has seen the enclosed, and directed me to send it to you. I am sorry to say that an unexpected delay has taken place in getting the translation which we had looked for, from Baltimore. It seems that the Gentleman who undertook to make it, finds an Arabic Dictionary necessary to the completion of it, and that such a thing is not to be had in Baltimore. We have looked for one here without success. Under these circumstances I have caused it to be intimated to this Gentleman that we would be satisfied with a general summary of the Contents of the Dey’s Letter, which I hope we will soon get from him. That with the enclosed from the Baron L’Escalier1 will perhaps enable you to give more particular directions as to the answer, than were contained in one of your late Letters to me. With Sentiments of the greatest Respect & Regard I am Dear Sir your Mo Obt Sert
John Graham
RC (DLC). Docketed by JM. For enclosure, see n. 1.
1. Graham forwarded Baron L’Escalier’s 5 Aug. 1816 letter to James Monroe, describing the difficulties he had encountered in translating the 24 Apr. 1816 letter to JM from the dey of Algiers. L’Escalier provided, nevertheless, a five-page summary of the sense he had been able to make of the preamble and the body of the dey’s letter, which he believed had been written on 14 Apr. The summary did not fully convey the import of the dey’s meaning beyond noting that JM had evidently sent Decatur and Shaler to Algiers “on some motive of indisposition and discontent” and suggesting that Decatur had found “some advantage, and some intrigues and misrepresentations coming athwart, [and] waged some hostile measures, and there was some cause of delay and misunderstanding, and opposition to the bringing to execution a sure convention and solemn agreement according to the wishes of the vizirs and councils of Algiers.” L’Escalier also wrote that the dey now believed that “a good and well conacted treaty and convention has been terminated and agreed on […] which said convention has been publicly notified and announced” (DNA: RG 59, ML).